Every Day Life: Smells

By Lara

I was rushing around my kitchen this morning trying to pry frozen pieces of chicken apart so I could extract the wax paper that separated them. I was also feeding the cat, opening blinds, taking medicine, and fixing my breakfast. When my frozen waffles popped up from the toaster, I stopped everything I was doing.

That smell. Eggo waffles crisp and brown from the toaster. It took me back to my grandparent's kitchen. I was six or seven eating breakfast with my grandfather. Every morning for as long as I can remember he ate one waffle and one scrambled egg for breakfast. I felt the sun on my face through the window. I heard the coo coo clock in the dining room. I saw my grandfather reading the paper and eating his breakfast with the dog wagging her tail under the table expecting the "last bite" of waffle. I heard the birds chirping out the back door.

The flashback didn't take long, but I was surprised at how vivid it was and that it took such priority in my thought processes.

Smells can have such amazing emotional ties to people, places and experiences. It got me thinking on my way to work, "What other smells affect me so powerfully?"

I came up with a list that I'm sure only begins to scratch the surface. Play dough. Head and Shoulders. Chantilly. Crayons. That wormy after the rain smell. That warm leafy smell. Fabric softener. Cherry tobacco. Cedar. New books. Old books. Fresh coffee. New leather. Bread baking. That damp mossy smell.

That also got me thinking of all the smells that register in my memory that I cannot describe except for the association. The way the church basement at Tioga Heights smells is probably very unique to that place. It always smells the same. I distinctly remember going down there the last time I visited and taking a deep breath. It smelled comfortable... calming... peacefully familiar.

I started thinking of other smell related incidents in the last few weeks. I was in Bed, Bath, and Beyond with my mother right before I moved. I was smelling candles and picked up... Midnight Breeze I think it was called. As soon as I smelled it, I handed it to my mom. "Why does this smell make me think of Dad?" "Um, it smells kind of like the deodorant he always uses."

Yet I never remember thinking, I want to remember this smell for the rest of my life. We never consciously register smells, but they are powerful triggers for our memories. It's interesting to contemplate the whys and wherefores. Is it not?

Lara works for the Department of Defense. She would tell you more, but then she'd have to hunt you down and, well, you know... She enjoys spending time with friends, building sand castles on the beach in winter and going on international adventures. Lara and Beth M. were the brains behind our fun series on the Year of the Birthday. We are thankful they have decided to continue the fun with the Bucket List and Every Day Life.

Comments

[kendal]

i love this post! i have strong associations with smells, as well. my favorite, and probably weirdest, is dirt. different soils elicit different memories, but all of happy childhood times spent in the woods!